The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 296: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE MYSTERIES OF THE OOURT. found the ayah aceeesible to bribery on the very firet occasion when I dropped her a hint that a great nobleman had fallen im love with both her- self and her mistress: but she isa strange creature in her way—for she at once declared that her mistress should have the honour of your Grace's preference, and that.she herself would be content to aseist in the enterprise.” “Is her mistress at all gay?’ inquired March- mont: “has she been brought over to this country hy some wealthy nabob, who by dying or on leaving her, ha’ emriehed her ?” “ Nothing of the sort, my lord!” oried Madame Angelique: “she is paragon of virtue and pro- pricty. This mach the syeh sewared me,—-grrine me to andersatdnd that the astutest artifice and the mest unscrupulous forse raust be employed for the vanquishing of that stabborn virtue of hers.” “Then methinks it is a somewhat difficull ask?” sais the Dake, helping Himself te another glass of ne By no means, my lord!” rejoined Madame Angelique. “The train for the artifice is laid: it will be for you to use the violence. I have: managed admirably—and success is certain.” “Bat what in the name of heaven,” ersed the Duke, “is the lady doing in this country ? Barely Fe ee ene some The ay @ woman of few words—speuks only to the point—and is by no means disposed to waste her breath in u comtfunications. I conld obtain nothing more from her,” continued Madame Anjelique, “than what was absolately necessary for the carrying out of our aims. Listen, my lord. I ere now informed yout Grave that fortune favoured me—and it was so. Amistd by the ayah, I obtained aduvission to the lady; and the convertation took such a turn—no matter how —that I came away with the thorongh under- standing that whe is to visit Oaklands for a few days——"” “What ! have you made her believe she is te be { the D the guest of the Dacheses and myself?” exclaimed Marchmont, ovciently at @ kone to comprohond the milliner's “ Quite the contrary, my lordi The iady sup-: powes that you and ‘the Duchess will not be there savall—ut that out of kinénere sho i to be per mitted to make your country-seat her home for a few days; and in her imgenuocusness,” added Madame Angelique, with a mocking ‘air, “ she has been led to fancy that it ts quite customary in this country for a ndébleman thus to plice his man- sion at the disposal of a foreigner of distinction, no matter whether male or female.” “Well, but what plan do you suggest P’ asked’ the Dake: “for I cannot for the life of me——” “ Listen, my lord! The lady will go alone to Oakiands: of that I am confident ;:—and what is more, she has provided heretif with a quantity of Buropean dresses # that she may not have an extraordinary appearance. Of course her Grace the Dechess will remain ignorant that the lady is at Oaklands: but what is to prevent your lordahip from finding your way there late sonic evering, and entering wtealthily? ‘You find the bird in your own cage—and what is ‘more, she has flown ¢ol thither. She sswet succumb; and then # will be for your Grace to convinte her of the impossibility of her invoking the law to punish 287 you. For how will the matter stand? Here isa lady, who has lived long enough in England and speaks the hnguage well enough to comprehend all its customs, ptoceeding of her own acoord to ‘your country-seat—leaving her servants behind hee ~~discarding for the time being her own habitaal costume—having English dresses mado for the parpose,—why, who on earth would believe Be ee te meee Peta that sho bad been invéeigied into a snare? Shall not I be ready to stand forward to give my own version of the mnanner in which the arrangement was effected between herself and me?f—shall I not at onew boldly affirm that I was a mesenger of love from your Grace te her-—and that she atcepted the overtare ang went to the appointment? Make her understand aH this, my fotd--and rest aveared that she will rather deck to veil her shame as digsely as poesible, than to expose it usciessly.” “Yos—the plot is admirable!” exolained the Duke; “end you are the most accomplished of usefal wamen. But when is the affair to come off P” “JT will write to the tady to-rhorrow,” responded Mademe Angelique; “and I have no doubt that 1 om the day after she will repair to Osklands. If is for your Grace to despatch a messenger with suitable instructions, so that she may be received by the servants in the light of an honoured at whose disposal the entire establishment is to be placed 20 long ws #% aney suit her to sojourn iw will eond off the necessary instructions the very fiyt thing in the morning,” responded the Duke. v And now, to discourse npom another sub- ject—what about. Lettice “ Ab, the ungratefal ane cried Madame : Angelique, with an indignation that ceuld not possibly have been greater if it were based on the most honset : “to serve me im such a way after all I ‘had done for her !” “ Well, but what has become of her?” inquired uke. “ That is exactly what 1 should like to ascertain -—bat she has been spirited away, no one knows where. way she is penitent. Penitence in- deed !’—end with as much disgust as if it were a heinous crime the bare idea ot which thus excited ‘her, Madame Angelique screwed up her coun- tenance into a strange aetees ai — “Well, relieve your feelings ag wine,” suid the Duke. . Madame Angelique followed his Grace’s counsel ; and went on to exclaim, “Who would have be- lieved St? Most people, when their girls get into trouble, leave them to get out again as best they mby. But here was I—with a sense of b which no doubt was carried to dn extreme,—here was I, nity lord, rushing off to Liverpool to see the wretch, and to offer to find het lawyers, and ‘cowh- scl, and all that sort of thing—dn condition that she kept my name out of the question: but the prison-door Was banged in my face—and I was told that Lettice Rodney did not w want to see me. Not want to seo me!—sme, her very best friend |—-—and now I hate her so that I could acratwh ‘her eyes out if she-came across me " “But have you no idea,” inquired Marchmont, “who was at the bottém of all those proceedings on ‘her behalfP ‘The newspapers spoke of = Auential friends——~" (COL (C DOO CS (COL